A North Palm Beach man claims he is lucky to be alive after the boat he was traveling in nearly sank off the coast of the Bahamas.
Brandon Perry was transporting a boat to Treasure Cay last Tuesday when he hit some bad weather.
"It was horrific. The whole thing was horrific," Brandon said.
On his way there, Brandon said he had to endure lightning, rain and a waterspout.
All of this happened in the dark of night, he said.
When he spotted the waterspout, he said he hid out in the center console of the boat.
"I was just praying that I would survive the ordeal," he said.
The 24-year-old said the electronics on board the boat were outdated and he lost control of them on his way over to the island.
He also lost use of one motor on the dual-motor boat.
"I continued my journey going about seven miles per hour throughout the night, through some of the worst weather I've ever been on a boat in."
Brandon was out of cell range and he said the radio on the boat wasn't working, yet he was still able to call for help using an EPIRB device that he borrowed from a friend.
"They may be a little expensive, but you really can't put a price on your own life," he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard arrived within forty minutes he said, although the minutes felt like hours when he was waiting to be saved.
The boat was filling up with water faster than it could be pumped out, he said.
The whole ordeal, he added, taught Brandon a valuable lesson.
"Always have a buddy. Always have a plan and let people know exactly where you're going. So if something comes up and you don't show up when you said you would, they know when to start looking," Brandon said.
